Race to preserve the world's oldest submerged town [ Pavlopetri in Greece ]

PhysOrg.com ^ | May 11th, 2009 | University of Nottingham

[SunkenCiv]

The ancient town of Pavlopetri lies in three to four metres of water just off the coast of southern Laconia in Greece. The ruins date from at least 2800 BC through to intact buildings, courtyards, streets, chamber tombs and some thirty-seven cist graves which are thought to belong to the Mycenaean period (c.1680-1180 BC). This Bronze Age phase of Greece provides the historical setting for much Ancient Greek literature and myth, including Homer's Age of Heroes... Although Mycenaean power was largely based on their control of the sea, little is known about the workings of the harbour towns of the period as archaeology to date has focused on the better known inland palaces and citadels. Pavlopetri was presumably once a thriving harbour town where the inhabitants conducted local and long distance trade throughout the Mediterranean -- its sandy and well-protected bay would have been ideal for beaching Bronze Age ships. As such the site offers major new insights into the workings of Mycenaean society... The submerged buildings, courtyards, streets, tombs and graves, lie just off a sandy stretch of beach close to an area popular with holiday makers and campers... Joining the team will be Dr Nicholas Flemming who discovered the site in 1967... The archaeological material -- pottery, figurines, obsidian and small finds -- they collected belong to the Early Helladic, Middle Helladic and Late Helladic period (c. 2800-1180 BC).

[SunkenCiv]

Pavlopetri (images)

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Pavlopetri (web)

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Pavlopetri (news)

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[SunkenCiv]

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[SunkenCiv]

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[aimhigh]

. . three to four metres of water . .

Must be the result of global warming, melting glaciers and rising seas. /sarc/

[Kolokotronis]

Thanks for the post. This place is about 150 km southeast of Sparti at the very southern end of the most easterly of the three peninsulas at the bottom of the Peloponnesus. Its a beautiful area.

[SunkenCiv]

;’)

[Unam Sanctam]

It’s not sandy Pylos of Homeric fame, is it?

[Condor51]

The ancient town of Pavlopetri lies in three to four metres of water just off the coast of southern Laconia in Greece. The ruins date from at least 2800 BC through to intact buildings, courtyards, streets, chamber tombs and some thirty-seven cist graves which are thought to belong to the Mycenaean period (c.1680-1180 BC). This Bronze Age phase of Greece provides the historical setting for much Ancient Greek literature and myth, including Homer's Age of Heroes

If I had a Time Machine, Bronze Age Greece would be a mandatory stop. Plus a quick visit to Thermopylae to see King Leonidas and his 300 Spartans (plus the Athenians he had) kick Xerxes' Persian butt for two days (day 3 wasn't too good).

[SunkenCiv]

The 300 Spartans were there along with 700 Thespians. :’) My time travel stops in classical Greece would include the battles of Marathon, Salamis, and Leuktra. For Mycenaean Greece I’d check out the heyday of the massive lake-drying project at Gla, and of course the Trojan War. (’:

[SunkenCiv]

Nope. Hey, I think I went to school with Sandy Pylos... maybe not though... after the end of that kingdom, Mycenaean Pylos was never rebuilt. Much later the Athenians defeated the Spartans at the island there, and in modern times Blegen found the other large archive (after Knossos) of Linear B inscribed tablets.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks! I tried looking through the search results for map images, but the first two I checked didn’t show it.

[RikaStrom]

Ping for pictures later, I hope??

[Kolokotronis]

“It’s not sandy Pylos of Homeric fame, is it?”

Nope. Pylos is on the west coast of the most western peninsula of the Peloponnesus. Its a particularly beautiful place. King Nestor’s palace, high on a mountain overlooking the town and the Ionian Sea, has been excavated and is really something worth seeing.

[Kolokotronis]

Its located at Cape Pounta in the lower right corner of the map, on the Aegean.

http://www.in2greece.com/mappages/peloponissos/lakonias.htm

[SunkenCiv]

I posted a search link (above) as a path to finding some, rather than mess with posting the images myself. :’)

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks again.

[Kolokotronis]

Excuse me, NOT Cape Pounta; actually nearer Elfonisos. The mainland there is called Pounta and/or Punta. Same area however.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks a third time. :’)

http://www.elafonissos.gr/en/beaches.php
http://www.laconia.org/Elaf_Pavloneri.htm

[SunkenCiv]

http://www.elafonissos.gr/en/beaches.php

http://www.elafonissos.gr/en/pictures/elafonissos_paralies.gif

...Pavlopetri

On the eastern part of Pounta, across the islet of Petri (PavloPetri), lies the beach with the same name. This beach was affected by sand movements in the last few years and the effect is that it is now shorter with more shallow waters. The effect of sand movements was so intense that it is not almost possible to walk to Pavlopetri instead of swim there. This sand movement has possibly covered part of the sunken ancient underwater settlement that could be seen when swimming there as well as the old cart roads.

[SunkenCiv]

Elafonisos - Pavloneri - The hydroluted Town

A rare prehistoric town of the mainland Greece with town plan, was discovered and described by maps from the institute of oceanography of Cambridge in 1968 Pavlopetri of Elafonisos.

The immerged town of the age of copper is found at the northeast side of the small island Pavlopetri in the opposite side of its cemetery in depth of the 2 or 3 meters and the buildings which can be seen from above with naked eye, when the sea is calm, cover a submarine area of 300X100 meters.

The main part of the town lays about 200 meters southwest of the islets, that are opposite of the channel and 70-100 meters away from the coast of Pounta.

Plan of the town: A rare plan, almost unique in continental Greece offer to us prehistoric Pavlopetri. 15 separate buildings, 5 roads, 2 tombs and at least 37 graves were identified and studied. The architecture of its houses has 5 styles and is divided in 10 town sections.

Impressive are the palace of the town, with four rooms (building VII). A building, possibly the temple of the town, on which were found 3 conic cups 4000-5000 years old (building IX), the front yard, the platform of the ceramics, the size of the buildings and the stone roads of the town.

Pavlopetri islet. There are Roman and Byzantine wall remnants.

· The cemetery at the coast (4000-5000 years) ·

An impressive cemetery of firsthellenic period in front of the channel which links the lake with the sea. It has 60 tombs (some of them are now below the level of the sea) and the roads of the grave are rectangular or sphenoid. Impressive is the big tomb which is preserved in an almost good condition. It has a road 2,12 meters long, a tomb with the shape of a kidney (5,22 X 2,95 meters) which communicate internally with the next to it grave. Near the sea, there are 4 graves of children.

· The channel and the bridge ·

A Roman bridge (recently destroyed) was on the channel to link Vies - Onon Gnathos.

· The brilliant civilization of Elafonisos ·

The first hellenic period is the brightest page of the diverse history of the island. Towns with plans, transportation and communication with kithira, Crete, Cyclades e.t.c.,impressive, for the time populace, high financial level, pottery art in the early time of copper among others prove this fact.

· Pavlopetri and Atlantis ·

Deukalion's flood and the fable of Atlantis are results of the volcanic explosion of the island, at that time called Stroggili (Santorini) in 1500 b.C. According to the English N.C. Flemmiug, that fact is clearly related to the destruction of the brilliant civilization of the prehistoric town in Pavlopetri.

· The findings of the prehistoric town ·

Many prehistorically findings have been found in the immerged Lakonian town of the age of copper. The following were collected between them: Little idol of an animal from perfect orange-red colored clay, counter weight of loom made of dark dark red clay, counter weight with conical holes made of grey limestone, twenty blades of obsidian and a small cylinder (in island Pavlopetri), small blade made of flint (island Pavlopetri), an object from copper and a little idol of a woman made of copper with hairs binded on the head and a digging up might reveal treasures in this prehistoric area. In Pavlopetri, the waves of the sea rush out of goblets, amphoras, water-jars and cups.